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Simeon junior forward Jabari Parker, ESPN’s No. 1 ranked Class of 2013 player, is featured on Sports Illustrated’s most recent cover and is deemed “the best high school basketball player since LeBron James.”

Parker joins James and Sebastian Telfair as the lone high school basketball players to be featured on Sports Illustrated’s cover in the past decade. Kevin Garnett also made the cover when he was a senior at Farragut High School in Chicago in 1996.

In Sports Illustrated’s article, Parker talks about his Mormon faith and being torn on whether to go on a mission when he turns 19.

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CHICAGO -- For years, Simeon Career Academy junior Jabari Parker has lived by the mantra "basketball is what I do, not who I am."

Thursday, that combination of "what" and "who" made Parker part of a prep sports legacy when he was named the 2011-12 Gatorade National Boys' Basketball Player of the Year. Parker was surprised with the news in his Spanish class by seven-time NBA All-Star Alonzo Mourning, who earned Gatorade National Player of the Year honors in 1987-88.

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Simeon junior Jabari Parker has stated he has one individual goal for his high school career -- to be considered the best player to ever come out of Chicago.

That's a lofty aspiration considering some of the names to come out of his hometown, including former Simeon star and NBA MVP Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls. In fact, Parker has said comparisons to Rose help fuel his dedication.

If the awards given to Parker this season are any indication of his status, Parker appears to be aligned directly with his goal after three high school seasons.

Parker added one more honor to his 2011-2012 season on Thursday as he was named the Gatorade National Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year. He was the fourth underclassman to receive the award, joining LeBron James, Greg Oden and Brandon Knight in that honor.

In all, Parker was named Team USA’s 2011 Male Athlete of the Year, Illinois’ Mr. Basketball, Illinois’ Gatorade Player of the Year and the ESPNChicago.com Player of the Year. He was the first underclassman voted Illinois’ Mr. Basketball since the award began in 1981.

“I’ll always have the hunger to work and improve my skill set,” Parker said recently. “I’m driven by seeing a lot of players in the NBA. That’s my goal. I just want to be a record-breaker and win a lot.

“Being compared to Derrick also drives me. I know if I get better than him or break the records he broke I could be one of the best players to come out of Chicago. I look forward to being one of those players.”

Parker, who is considered the No. 1 junior in the country, averaged 19.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 3.3 blocks and 1.4 steals this past season. He helped Simeon to its third consecutive state title.

“He’s one of the top 5 players to ever play in the state of Illinois right now,” Simeon coach Robert Smith said. “It drives him. He wants to be better than Derrick. That’s his ultimate goal.”

Rose recently gave Parker advice, and it wasn't necessarily to follow in his footsteps.

"Stay patient," Rose said. "His work ethic is definitely up there. I wish him nothing but the best, but remain humble and be himself."

Chicago-area high school and club coaches reacted with mixed opinions to Illinois’ hiring of John Groce.

Most of the coaches reacted negatively to Groce’s hiring, saying they were disappointed Illinois didn’t hire someone with Chicago ties or someone they were familiar with.

“I got two words – good luck,” said Mac Irvin Fire coach Mike Irvin, whose current players include nationally-ranked junior Jabari Parker and sophomore Jahlil Okafor. “I don’t know him. I’ve never met him. I don’t know who he is. Really the past 4-5 years, we’ve had high-major players in our program, so we never crossed paths with him.”

Curie high school coach Mike Oliver had a similar reaction. Oliver’s top player is 6-9 sophomore center Cliff Alexander, who is ranked No. 11 in the Class of 2014.

“I never heard of him in my life,” Oliver said. “I don’t know who he was. I understand he’s the head coach of Ohio. I think it’s very disappointing. Personally, I don’t know his background. I don’t think that’s a big upgrade with what we had. I think we’re back in the same situation or worse than when we had coach (Bruce) Weber.”

MeanStreets club coach Tai Streets had one of his players, D.J. Cooper, go play for Groce, but also couldn’t speak to knowing Groce. Streets’ current players include juniors Kendrick Nunn, Paul White and Alvin Ellis and sophomore Tyler Ulis.

“I really haven’t talked to him at all,” Streets said. “I know he obviously recruited D.J. I was told he hung around some. I didn’t talk to him. Illinois will be a good challenge for him. We’ll see if he can make it happen.”

Illinois recruiting analyst and former club coach Larry Butler believed Groce could be successful in Chicago.

“It’s not a bad hire at all,” Butler said. “I think he’s a great hire. I think he’s a dynamite communicator. He’s proven he can get kids to elevate their play. He’ll be able to deal with guys around Chicago. He’ll be able to win guys over.”

Illinois Wolves club coach Mike Mullins also thought Groce could do well at Illinois. Mullins’ players include Illini commit Jalen James, a junior point guard and Normal University’s Keita Bates-Diop.

“What I know of coach Groce is throughout the years he’s done a great job recruiting wherever he’s been and has moved up the ladder,” Mullins said. “He’s done everything to move up to be considered for this job. He didn’t ask for the media circus around him. He didn’t create that.

“I think he’s proven he can recruit in the Big Ten. He recruited NBA players and recruited them all around the country. He has Midwestern roots. He’s been successful in the NCAA tournament. Those are all things that prior to the search began were on the list what a new head coach should be able to do.”

Whitney Young high school coach Tyrone Slaughter expected a more high-profile name. Slaughter’s players include nationally-ranked sophomores White and Okafor.

“I guess my thing is I don’t want to bury a guy before he starts,” Slaughter said. “But for me, it’s an interesting hire. That would be the best way I could put it. It’s an interesting hire given that we’ve been talking so much about recruiting Chicago and Illinois.

“It wasn’t what I expected to be the hire after coach Weber. I thought we were really looking to bring someone with a much grander national appeal. We obviously didn’t do that.”

Simeon high school coach Robert Smith was also unfamiliar with Groce. He believed Groce had some work to put in if he was going to have any chance at Parker, who attends Simeon and is the nation’s top junior, or any of the area’s top juniors.

“He’s definitely behind the eight-ball,” said Smith, who was contacted about Illinois’ position. “I can tell you that. He can come in and overwhelm everyone and everyone can jump on his bandwagon. I’m not going to have a personal vendetta against Illinois. I’m still going to be for Illinois. I still want them to be No. 1 in the country.”

Slaughter thought Groce’s background in recruiting Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. could help him, but thought time was more of an issue.

“He’s had success with high-end players, so maybe that part won’t be difficult for him,” Slaughter said. “The biggest part will be making up ground in a short amount of time. You have an inordinate amount of time make up in a short time in that a lot of these players have been recruited by coaches for awhile now. These are people they see and know.”

Irvin felt the same.

“In 2013, there’s a lot of high-major kids in that class,” Irvin said. “They’re being recruited by Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, Marquette, DePaul. They’re being recruited by everybody. Now you bring in someone who hasn’t had any contact with any of these players. He’s got a lot of ground to make up. I’m not saying it can’t be done. Anything is possible.”

Smith felt it was vital for Groce to quickly create a relationship with Chicago’s coaches. He believed DePaul coach Oliver Purnell went through a similar process when he was hired in 2010.

“You have to get the right people on staff and relate to the Chicago area and know the ins and outs of it,” Smith said. “I think that happened a little with DePaul. I think Oliver and I had a conversation and our whole relationship changed.

“It’s coming in and building a relationship and kind of listening. I’m not saying do what we say, but listen to Tyrone Slaughter and myself, the Irvins and Tai Streets, the people with the bulk of the players. We’re not street guys. We’re not going to be taking money. We just want our kids to be taken care of.”

Oliver thought it was especially key to create relationships with the high school coaches.

“I think personally I’m looking for someone to have the best interest of the kids and try to get the best product we have in the state,” Oliver said. “Just do it the right way. A lot of coaches recruit through the AAU system. I don’t think that’s the right way to do it. I think you have to build through the high school coaches. At the end of the day, the high school coaches knows three times the amount the AAU coaches know about a player.”

Despite many of the coaches’ initial reactions, they were looking forward to giving Groce the benefit of their doubt.

“I definitely wouldn’t mind meeting him,” Irvin said. “I would give him a chance. I’ll see what my first impression is.”

Slaughter hoped Groce would consider bringing someone with Chicago ties onto his staff.

“Obviously, we’d like to see someone from Chicago actively looked at to assume some responsibility at Illinois,” Slaughter said. “I believe there are quality people here who could assist and help the staff and help turn that program.”

The coaches also explained they were vocal about Illinois’ coaching decision because they want the Illini to succeed.

“We just want to put Illinois on the national map,” Oliver said. “I’m willing to work with the new coach. I believe everyone deserves a chance. I just want a fresh start. I love Illinois basketball.”

Here are six key objectives for new Illinois coach John Groce, who sources say agreed to a deal on Wednesday:

1. Convince sophomore Meyers Leonard to stay: With Leonard, the Illini should be able compete at the top of the Big Ten. Without him, it’s unlikely. Leonard dominated at times as a sophomore, but he still had inconsistencies due to foul trouble and his own personal frustrations. He likely will be drafted in the top 15 if he leaves, but he could be an All-American and a top-10 pick if he stays.

2. Reach out to Parker: Simeon junior Jabari Parker is the No. 1 junior in the country and has been the priority for Illinois since he stepped foot on a high school court. Former Illinois coach Bruce Weber developed a good relationship with Parker and his family. It’s unlikely Illinois will land Parker, but Groce has to make a strong push. Groce recruited Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. to Ohio State, so he has experience with top-end players.

3. Retain assistant coach Jerrance Howard: He lives and breathes Illinois basketball. Howard grew up with it, played there and has now coached there. He has a strong relationship with the current players and the ones already committed. Howard has two years left on his contract. If he gets away, another high-major program will scoop him up, and he’ll soon be recruiting against Illinois.

4. Bring someone with Chicago ties onto the staff: Howard has opened many doors in Chicago, but Chicago coaches would be even more comfortable with one of their own. You’re never going to please everyone in Chicago, but a coach with Chicago roots would go a long way in most gyms. Simeon coach Robert Smith is the logical choice, but he’ll have to be persuaded to leave.

5. Drive to Chicago and start building relationships ASAP: It’s going to be an uphill climb for Groce in Chicago. Most Chicago coaches don’t know him, so they’re going to be skeptical until they speak with him. It will be a lot like what DePaul coach Oliver Purnell went through when he first was hired. Despite what critics have said, Chicago isn’t any more difficult to recruit than any other major city. You have to get in there and gain trust. Groce can do that, but it will take a little time.

6. Deal with Illinois’ current recruits: Groce and the Illini’s current commitments will have to decide what’s best for everyone’s futures. Crete-Monee point guard Michael Orris is the only player signed in the Class of 2012. Prospect senior combo guard Mike LaTulip was also recruited as a preferred walk-on. For the Class of 2013, Illinois has commitments from Belleville East shooting guard Malcolm Hill and LaLumiere point guard Jalen James. Both are highly touted and are considered to be Illinois’ backcourt of the future.

One of Chicago’s most powerful club high school coaches said Friday he doesn’t believe Shaka Smart turned down Illinois’ offer because of his reluctance to deal with Chicago recruiting and believes the perception of the city’s recruiting is wrong.

Mike Irvin runs one of Chicago’s most recruited club programs, the Mac Irvin Fire. Its recent players include McDonald’s All-Americans Wayne Blackshear and Jereme Richmond, Illinois sophomore Meyers Leonard and Ohio State freshman Sam Thompson. The Fire’s current roster includes the nation’s No.1 junior Jabari Parker and No. 2 sophomore Jahlil Okafor.

According to sourced reports, Smart was turned off by the politics of Chicago recruiting, and that played a factor in his decision to reject Illinois’ offer. Irvin said Smart has recruited Chicago before and doesn’t believe that soured Smart on the Illinois job.

“Shaka knows he can come in and recruit kids from here,” said Irvin, who took over the program for his recently deceased father Mac Irvin. “When Shaka was (an assistant) at Florida, all of our guys had Florida on their list. I didn’t even know who Shaka was before, and he called me 90 times before he got a hold of me. He knows he can come in here.”

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Class 3A state champion Peoria Central believes it can defeat Simeon.

Class 4A state champion Simeon believes it can defeat Peoria Central.

Who’s right? We’ll never know.

Peoria Central and Simeon never played during the 2011-12 regular season and did not meet in the state playoffs because they were in different classes. Prior to the IHSA going to four classes in the 2007-08 season, the two teams would have met in Class AA and could have decided it on the court.

“It is one of the pitfalls,” Peoria Central coach Dan Ruffin said of the four-class system on Tuesday. “The question still comes up, ‘Are you still seeing the best Illinois has to offer with the system we have with the classes divided up. Are we giving the best teams an opportunity to perform at state?’”

Simeon coach Robert Smith went through a similar debate in 2010 when Hillcrest won the Class 3A state championship and Simeon won the Class 4A state title.

“I guess that’s why some people like only the two classes, so you can figure it out and everybody can play everyone,” Smith said. “I don’t think they had that many debates when it was A and AA.”

Smith does believe the two best teams in Illinois played for a state championship this year with his Wolverines facing Proviso East in the Class 4A title game. Simeon was ranked No. 1 the entire season and didn’t lose to an in-state team. Proviso East was ranked No. 2 and was undefeated before losing to Simeon 50-48 in Peoria on Saturday.

“It’s not even close who the best team in the state is,” Smith said. “The best two teams in the state played and [other teams weren’t] close.”

Ruffin, whose team went 28-3 this season, disagrees with Smith. Ruffin believes Peoria Central could beat Simeon. Peoria Central defeated Hillcrest and North Chicago, two Chicago-area teams, on its way to the Class 3A state championship over the weekend.

“Do I think we could give them a game? That’s funny,” Ruffin said. “I think we would be able to hold on, and we could really probably beat them as often as they could beat us. I think we match up well.

“I think our guards are better. We have big men who can guard their big men. They don’t have a big advantage there. Jabari [Parker], we have someone who could guard him on the floor and when he comes to the basket. We’re going to bring some problems to them because they don’t handle pressure well.”

Although Peoria Central and Simeon can’t determine which team is better this season, both would like the IHSA consider a way of doing so in the future.

“Maybe there could be something where the state champions play each other?” Smith said. “Maybe the second-place teams play each other, too? There wouldn’t be a problem with that.”

Ruffin did agree with Smith on that.

“That would be a great idea,” Ruffin said. “What teams are best? You’ll know. Bring all your champions together, and that would be a great weekend. That’s another weekend the IHSA could make some money. It would be the tournament of champions.”

Chicago's Simeon Career Academy coach Robert Smith on Monday suspended nine underclassmen for one game next season after they removed their shoes and placed them on the court following their third straight Class 4A state championship in Peoria, Ill.

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PEORIA, Ill. -- Simeon’s players took their shoes off and laid them side by side on the basketball floor at Carver Arena as their fans surrounded them on Saturday night.

It was a sight unseen at the state tournament before. But then again, Simeon just got finished doing something no program in the state had done before.

With Simeon’s 50-48 victory over previously-unbeaten Proviso East in the Class 4A state championship on Saturday, Simeon became the first program in state history to win six state titles, surpassing Peoria Manual’s and Peoria Central’s five trophies.

“The kids wanted to leave their footprints on the floor,” Simeon coach Robert Smith explained of the shoes.

Simeon and Smith did set themselves apart on Saturday. The Wolverines won their third consecutive title and fifth in the last seven years. Smith also became the first Illinois coach to win five titles.

“This is not it,” Smith said. “We’re on our way to try to come back again here next year.”

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PEORIA, Ill. -- Illinois high school basketball fans will get what they’ve been dreaming about all season -- a Proviso East vs. Simeon matchup in the Class 4A state championship --– but neither team was exactly impressive in setting it up.

One game after Proviso East scored four points in a quarter and pulled out an ugly win over Rockford Auburn, Simeon had its own struggles in a 45-35 victory over Bloom in the second Class 4A semifinal.

“They pushed us to the limit,” Simeon coach Robert Smith said. “From my aspect, I really thought we should have lost the game.”

As a surprise to most in the building, Bloom (28-4) nearly made that happen. The Blazing Trojans frustrated Simeon star Jabari Parker, holding him to 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting, and were carried offensively by the hot hand of Lejavius Johnson, who scored a game-high 18 points.

“Yeah, it was the most frustrating [game of my season,]” Parker said. “Like coach Rob said, this is a bad time to be messing up, especially in the end. We just have to tweak some things and get back to the blueprint.”

Bloom proved in the early minutes Friday it was going to give Simeon (32-1) all it could handle. The Blazing Trojans jumped out to a 13-8 lead in the first quarter and extended it to 15-9 in the opening minutes of the second quarter.

“I knew that before the game that we could play with them from the jump,” Johnson said.

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CHICAGO -- Simeon coach Robert Smith has witnessed Jabari Parker affected by all that comes with being Jabari Parker, the player deemed the nation’s No. 1 junior, a likely NBA lottery pick and Derrick Rose’s successor, just once in his career.

It was against Peoria Manual in the Pontiac holiday tournament semifinals on Dec. 30, 2011. For the first half, Parker didn’t look like himself to Smith. Parker was tentative and appeared be nervous before the packed crowd. It almost as if Parker was afraid he wasn’t going to live up to everyone’s expectations.

“I told him at halftime to relax and just be Jabari Parker,” Smith said. “It’s OK if you have a bad game. Those things happen to every player. Every time you go out there, you don’t have to be great. Every time you play, you’re going to be critiqued. Good or bad, that comes with the territory.”

Smith’s words were received and put to use. When Parker returned to the floor for the second half, whatever pressure he had been feeling was relieved, and Parker returned to being exactly what the crowd was there to see.

“I’ve only seen that once where he felt a little nervous, but it didn’t last very long,” Smith said. “He led us in the second half. He made eight points in a row and gave us the lead. He just started dominating the game, blocking shots, rebounding.”

For one half this season, Parker wasn’t great. For 63 others, he was. When you add it up, Parker left no doubt he was the ESPNChicago.com 2011-2012 Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

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Simeon’s Jabari Parker, the nation’s No. 1 junior, said Tuesday he was sad to see Bruce Weber fired at Illinois, but he would still consider the Illini.

“I was very disappointed,” Parker said after Simeon advanced to the state semifinals Tuesday. “That was a person who first recruited me growing up. I feel like if the [new] coach there tried to recruit me they wouldn’t have a better relationship than [Weber] had. That really plays a key.”

Despite his relationship with Weber, Parker said he would still consider Illinois with a new coach because it’s an in-state school.

“They’ll still be in the mix because what we haven’t been looking at is making our own state good,” Parker said. “A lot of players they leave to go to these Kentucky’s and Duke’s, but they don’t see the state and representing the area they’re from.”

DePaul, Illinois and Northwestern are all recruiting Parker. DePaul coach Oliver Purnell and Illinois interim head coach Jerrance Howard were in attendance at Chicago State on Tuesday. Northwestern played in the NIT on Tuesday.

Parker said he would like to stay in state, but he couldn’t guarantee that would happen.

“That’s important, but at the end of the day, I got to see where I’m going to be a good player at and what system holds me the best.”

Parker hasn’t concentrated on recruiting during the high school season as Simeon attempts to win its third consecutive state title, but he will begin to do so after the season is completed.

“This summer I’m going to narrow my choices down and really focus on the schools I’m going to visit,” Parker said.

CHICAGO – Winning a super-sectional and earning a trip to the state tournament is supposed to be a joyous occasion.

Throughout most of the state on Tuesday, that was the case.

At Chicago State, it wasn’t

Despite No. 1 Simeon defeating Evanston 59-34 in the Chicago State super-sectional and advancing to its third consecutive state semifinal, Wolverines coach Robert Smith walked off the court disappointed in his team. He certainly wasn’t allowing any celebration to take place.

Simeon will play Bloom in the Class 4A state semifinals on Friday. Rockford Auburn and Proviso East play in the other semifinal.

“We didn’t play very good at all,” said Smith, who has won four state championships. “We played okay in some spurts, but we didn’t play very good overall. We actually didn’t play Simeon ball. Too much individual play. We’re not going to win if we don’t play better.

“It don’t mean anything if you don’t win [state.] You can get down there, but for us, if we don’t win, it’s still a disappointing year for us. So we have to win the whole thing for us to be satisfied for what we’re trying to do.”

Smith’s frustrations began in the first half when he felt Simeon’s offense wasn’t being run efficiently, and he let his players know all about it at halftime with Simeon leading 29-19. He especially went after Simeon’s two star players Jabari Parker and Steve Taylor.

“He’s always not satisfied with us,” Parker said. “He always thinks that we can play better, which we should because there’s always room for improvement. We need to be more clean. We look a little bit sloppy out there. We have to fix a little mental lapse during the stretch in the first half. That really gets us a lot.”

Driven by Smith’s speech at halftime, Parker asserted himself in the third quarter. Parker scored six of Simeon’s first eight points in the quarter, and the Wolverines (31-1) went ahead 36-21. The game was never close again.

“That gives me more motivation,” Parker said of Smith’s halftime talk. “This is the last 16 minutes. This is the last half coming. I have to give it my all.”

Parker finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. Kendrick Nunn (13 points) and Taylor (nine points, seven rebounds) contributed for Simeon.

For Evanston (21-11), it was a bittersweet loss. The Wildkits had made a memorable run in the state playoffs, but they were still disappointed to have their season ended.

“Nobody thought this team would be playing in a super-sectional,” Evanston coach Mike Ellis said. “We were picked in the middle of our conference. To be able to win a regional and beat Notre Dame at Notre Dame and win a sectional where we had to beat the No. 1 seed in New Trier. We talked about not resting on a win over New Trier as teams can do at Evanston, but take it to another level, which I thought we did in the sectional final game at Niles North.

“I think these kids should be real proud of the way where this season came to a halt here tonight.”

Josh Irving (10 points) and Randy Ollie (eight points, six rebounds) led Evanston.

The family of Jabari Parker, who is the nation's top-ranked junior out of Chicago's Simeon Career Academy, is unsure if Illinois will remain in the recruiting mix for Parker if Bruce Weber is fired.

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The Class 3A and 4A boys basketball playoffs continue with sectional play this week. Here’s a glance at the top games and players to see.

Six sectional semifinals to see

1. Simeon vs. Whitney Young at Argo on Tuesday: Simeon was tested by Whitney Young when the two teams met earlier in the season at UIC.

2. Bogan vs. Marist at Argo on Wednesday: Marist is the area’s hottest team coming off its upset win over Curie. Bogan has been stellar all season.

3. Marshall vs. St. Joseph at Glenbard South on Wednesday: Both these teams are legitimate Class 3A state title contenders. Only one of them will advance.

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